Llamas Open Doors

by Wes Holmquist

         It was like being a star in my home town when I brought my llamas home.  Llamas are the new invention in animaldom in my neck of the woods.

         On Memorial Day weekend, 1988, my friend, Dwight Worthington, and I were on our way with our families to the East Fork of the Salmon River of Idaho for a mountain llama pack trip. 

Amy Holmquist, Ann Holmquist Dwight Worthington, Holly Holmquist, and Marita Worthington

I didn’t own any llamas yet but was really starting to enjoy these strange creatures that could go any place in the mountains and would jump into the back of a truck much like a cat jumping up on a windowsill.

         We had picked out a canyon to traverse from a US topographic map, and neither of us had ever packed in that part of the national forest before.  I often use this type of map for archery hunting in Idaho because you can tell a lot about how the land lies, what kind of elevation gain you have to climb and also where the good wildlife habitats are.  We  had to cross about four miles of desert mountains and then we would come into a beautiful isolated mountain area with meadows and pine forest that should hold a good elk population for our family to enjoy and observe.  The four miles of dry mountain area were a sizable obstacle for our young family to overcome, but when we arrived at the trailhead we found an even greater one.  What it didn’t show us on the map is that we had to trespass on private property to get to our mountain trail.  After a two hundred mile drive this was very disappointing and we could see this ruining our whole vacation.

         Idaho is blessed with a great deal of National Forest area open to anyone with the yearning to be alone in the wild country, but in many places private land does divide the would-be hiker from the great forests filled with wildlife.  Not too long ago there were very few NO TRESPASSING signs, welcoming the outdoorsman every place, but because of the irresponsibility of a few, the bulk of the public is rapidly being cutoff from private lands.  We cannot blame the land owner for this trend because in many cases his generosity has turned into an expense for damaged fences, maybe lost or even killed livestock (from certain careless hunters) and damage to newly planted fields from people driving in them.  Being raised on a farm I fully realized the connotations of crossing a land owner’s property and with such a great trail within such a short distance from a public road, I knew this rancher was hounded to death with people wanting to cross.  There was only one thing to do though, and that was to ask.

         Across the river and the wooden bridge crossing to the homestead we could see a cowboy on one of the corrals saddling up a horse.  After crossing the bridge on foot, Dwight and I hiked up the lane meandering through a pasture to the rustic corrals and leaning buildings.  The man saw us coming but then kept his back to us as he went on with his chores.  “Howdy,” I said in my best cowboy talk, to which I got no reply as he went on doing up his cinches.  Not to be discouraged I went on and told him our tale of woe about finding the canyon on a map and not knowing we had to cross private property and so forth.  During my planned speech the rancher didn’t even acknowledge our presence, but in the course of my presentation when I used the word ‘llama’ his head raised up and he was straining to see the Camelids across the river.  A new side of him emerged.

         “Got some llamas, huh?”

         “Oh, . . . yes,” I said.  Up to this point I didn’t even know if he could talk or even hear.  Well, the guy wanted to see our llamas and not another word was said as he headed  over to them. We  followed.   We then found we could talk a lot about llamas and was really  interested in them.  He asked us nearly every question about them.   We told him we used them for archery hunting too, but right now we’re just on an outing with our families.

         When he was done with llamas he told us, “Oh, yes, you guys can cross but leave your vehicles kind of out of sight  so other people won’t get the idea.  And if you guys want to come up archery hunting this fall, let me know and I’ll hide your vehicles behind the buildings.  So the rancher went from incommunicable to very nice and friendly.  I have to say my ego was somewhat deflated when I realized I could have saved the big long speech and just said the word ‘llama’ in the first place.

         One could say this incident is a coincidence, but llamas have opened doors for me more than once in many ways and I say it is not a coincidence.  They have opened many doors to new friends, like Lynn Hyder of the LANA association.  When I was interested in purchasing llamas, I called Lynn and he was so helpful - as have been all of the llama owners that I have been associated with.  People are coming over to the field where I keep them daily and introducing themselves.  (Some of them next door neighbors that I have not met in the ten years that I have lived here).  The Camelid is a natural communication barrier breaker and conversation piece.

         Stosh Thompson of Cascadia Llamas in Central Oregon said although he has met many wonderful people through llamas (mainly, me, I assume)  he missed the newness of the llama business because the Patterson Ranch and other llama owners and had already given the llama quite a bit of exposure when he entered in.  But in Pocatello, Idaho, Llamas are definitely a new hat.  My friend owned the first ones here. 

         I arrived here on the fourth of July with my nine young males that I bought in Central Oregon to train for packing.  At the LANA Expo in Oregon, I had learned a great deal about llama care and equipment and got to meet Lynn Hyder in person. 

         When I arrived at my little rented pasture next to a grade school, our housing subdivision neighbors gathered round.  Later the local newspaper did a nice story on my little business and TV 8 filmed me as I demonstrated the llamas’ packing and athletic abilities and also their calmness and trustability by bringing them in the house for the first time.  (However, they didn’t show their house training, because one of them urinated for the news team.)  I continue to make new friends all the time because of my llamas, but the one I value most is my friend Bubba.

         Bubba  (Nathan is his real name) is a second grade boy who, with a special interest in llamas, got a special spot on the news segment as a spectator of the llamas going from the field to our house half a block away.  Every day I noticed Bubba enviously watching me with my llamas when I was feeding or training them.  I was soon letting him in to watch with special instructions that he was not to ever come in when I was not there.

         Eventually, Bubba was leading the llamas and helping me everyday with the training.  The young boy showed a natural ability to handle the llamas and make them mind even though he was just seven years old. (This is something that would be nearly impossible with mules and horses.)

         I met with his mother to make sure this was okay and then found out that she had recently been divorced and the llamas were helping to fill a special place in Bubba’s life since his father had moved away.  She told me Nathan was telling his friends that he was my hired hand, we both not seeing any harm in it.  He sometimes called me “boss” and showed up daily for his accepted responsibility and some days when I was discouraged and slow to get out there after working my regular job, Bubba showed up and gave me the inspiration I needed.  “Bubba’s here and wants to know if you can play,” my wife would jokingly call.  “Isn’t it neat to have a second vocation in your childhood?”  Well, I don’t care.  Bubba’s my best buddy now and I don’t really think a thirty-five year age difference is that bad, do you?

         Bubba and his little redheaded cousin, Josh, just love my youngest llama, Inky, a cute little black seven month old with the tips of his ears nipped by the frost.  What a picture they made leading him around with his little training pack filled with couch pillows.  Now making money is not as important as just sharing my llamas with Bubba, my community, and my friends.  Perhaps the llama will not make his owner a million dollars.  The Llama cannot ride this monetary wave forever.  Some owners will make money and some will lose, but regardless of that, the llama is here to stay.  They’ve made me fully see the potential of the llama as an animal just to have and enjoy.  It made me see the loving side of them.

         The seemingly insignificant strange looking animal about which everybody says, “What do you want one of them for?” is a new force in a strange land.  The West was won with the horse and gun, but in a now civilized and mechanized country there is a need for a new recreational animal that is safer and easier to care for.  This is the llama and he will win the hearts of millions.